If you’ve done any long run of more than a few hours, you know the feeling of palate fatigue. Your tongue gets sticky, you’d kill for some plain water, and that yummy fruity drink mix you packed so lovingly for yourself hours prior sounds like the worst thing in the world. As someone who’s been there, I’ve made it a mission to try as many different drink mixes as I can in order to minimize the chance of the dreaded palate fatigue.
Generally I train and race with a mix of gels and liquid carbs. I like to have the feeling of something other than just a liquid in my stomach when I’m out for hours, but I like knowing that even if more solid options are unappealing, liquid carbs can be my fallback.
One of the first drink mixes I tried was Gu’s Roctane Drink Mix, specifically the Summit Tea flavour. And I loved it. It tastes like the best soda fountain iced tea, but with a more customizable carb content. It wasn’t sticky or overly sweet, and I didn’t get tired of drinking it. It was the perfect fuel to use as I was getting used to the idea of taking in more carbs on a run. It settled easily and tasted okay even when my training took me out for trail loops for hours in the heat (ie the heat turned my bottles into a uhhhh… delightful lukewarm situation).
And then, suddenly, it became much harder to find. I tried other options, some I loved, others I felt less inspired by. But as luck would have it, I won a Gu product voucher in this year’s Team Running Free lottery. After perusing the options from Gu online and in store, I saw it: a big ol’ tub of Summit Tea. I thought back to the glorious summer I spent with Summit Tea as my liquid carb option and smiled. It was time to rip around with iced tea in my flasks again.
Since starting this new tub, I have not been disappointed! I still love the flavour, though it took me a minute to remember that this mix requires slightly more vigorous shaking to properly mix it in with water than some other brands. My partner has even taken a serving or two on a long bike ride and she’s also a fan! I’ll definitely buy this flavour again, especially when I need to mix it up and hold my palate fatigue off.
If you want to try Summit Tea you can find it here: https://www.runningfree.com/products/Accessories-362/Nutrition-and-Food-374/GU-689/GU-Roctane-Ultra-Energy-Drink-p64103/?pstart=1&sortByPre=new
